News

(by Michael Moore, Union Advocate) Calling it an investment critical to the union’s survival, Ironworkers Local 512 Business Manager Charlie Roberts cut the ribbon on a new $3.1 million apprenticeship training center in St. Paul. A large crowd of journey-level, apprentice and retired Ironworkers attended the ceremony in late August, which marked the completion of Local 512’s 18,000-square-foot facility on Pierce Butler Route, near Dale Avenue. Construction work began in January. Read more »

When Americans think of apprenticeship, their thoughts more often turn to reality television than worker training. It’s no wonder: Despite a centuries-long history and federal support dating back to the 1930s, apprenticeship is vastly underutilized in the United States. As a result, many Americans are unfamiliar with apprenticeships and how they operate. Read more »

Office Project is Second Development for BIT in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. Last week more than 100 union leaders and workers, elected officials, and local community advocates joined the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust (BIT) and Hines to celebrate the groundbreaking of T3, in Minneapolis, MN. Read more »

Labor, business and government representatives broke ground Monday for a multi-tenant office building constructed with union labor and offering “an eco-friendly, welcoming environment.”

The T3 Office at 333 Washington Ave. N., will continue the revitalization of the Minneapolis North Loop that has been partially financed by union pension funds. Located north of Target Field, the building will be adjacent to the Dock Street Flats, union-built apartments. Read more »

Minnesota’s construction unions, gathered for the annual convention of the State Building & Construction Trades Council celebrated a busy construction season while also looking to the future.

The group’s two-day convention Thursday and Friday included numerous speeches by public officials and discussion of current and future construction. At the moment, the unions are experiencing near full employment on projects across the state. Read more »

(Equal Nation) A hundred and fifty workers die each day in the United States as a result of injuries at work or occupational diseases.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest trade union federation in the US, makes this observation in the latest edition of Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, based on the statistics of the US Secretary of Labor. Read more »

The Minnesota AFL-CIO General Board has elected Bill McCarthy to serve as the state labor federation's next president. McCarthy, currently Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation president, will be sworn in Oct. 13 to succeed retiring President Shar Knutson.Read more »

Pipeline Construction, Safety Events Coming to Cloquet, Bemidji, and Park Rapids. A coalition of trade organizations representing the workers who build Minnesota's pipelines announced today that they will hold a series of public events in northern Minnesota featuring hands-on demonstrations and displays of pipeline technology and construction techniques.Read more »